Amanuensis Monday - We Start in the Middle

I realized while reorganizing all my old documents that I'd been doing research for about six months before I started. That is to say that I had already started when I received a document that helped me really start my research. What do I mean? Well, read on and you'll discover this wonder piece I received from Tom Wersel back in early 1997. Tom is my mom's first cousin, the son of Roger Rowland Wersel and his wife Myrtle; Roger is the brother of Victor Wersel, my mom's dad. My mom suggested, when I started my research in 1996, that I give Tom a call since he grew up in Cincinnati, the root of my mom's family. Tom was so happy to hear from me, and was able to provide me with many clues. But he also provided me with copies of documents as well. He wasn't certain about the origins of the documents (i.e. who wrote them, or who'd owned them) but he thought that perhaps Nancy Baer Strubbe might know. When I spoke with Nancy the first time, she was unfamiliar with the documents and their origins. And, just to show how you never know what's going to happen in genealogy, I've included this document exactly as the copy looked that I received: with a page missing.

I did ask Tom if he had the missing page (page 2), and he said that he did not. The transcription follows: 

 Penn (1)

“Edward Penn of pure English extraction and a collateral branch of the family of which Wm. Penn the founder of Pennsylvania was the most distinguished in historic annals, came to Baltimore Md. He was a planter and largely identified with the growth + progress of the colony.”

His wife was a … Taylor (this seems an error perhaps as James Sargent’s wife was Nellie Taylor)

Benjamin Penn son of Edward born 1740 in Fredrick Co. Maryland; died 1834 in Clermont Co. O. Came to Clermont about 1810 with eleven children.

Mary Sargent (his wife) born 1755, Frederick Co. Md. Died 1817 in Clermont Co. Ohio.

They were married 1774 in Maryland.

Their  children.

I Joseph – Nov. 16.  – 1774 – unmarried

II Benjamin – Apr. 16 –  1776 = Anna Phillips

III Eleanor – Dec. 10 –  1777 = Richard Tucker

IV Nancy Ann – Apr. 12 – 1779 = Geo. Richards

V Elizabeth – Sept 15 – 1780 = Nathaniel Hines

VI Rachael – Mar 12 – 1782 = R. C. Lanham

VII Rebecca – Nov. 15 – 1783 = Benj. Thrasher

VIII Mary – May 7 – 1785 = John Richards

(over)

** Missing Page **

(3)

6.  John – married Caroline Rice

                                A Dr. in Tomah Wisconsin.

                (I have no record of his family, but here again

                Jennie may help you. – I know there were at least two daughters and one son)

                7.  Thompson – died in California

                8.  Ann – married John S. Lane

                She was born June 13 – 1818

                Died Feb. 1 – 1901 at Williamsburg O.

                Their children

                (one) Eugene born Oct. 1 1848

                Died June 1918

                Married Abbie Dexter – 1870

                (two) Rebecca Evelyn – born Dec. 9 1849

                Died Oct 4. 1865 at Delaware O.

                Edward Thompson – born Apr. 25 1855

                Married Maria L. Shearer June 27. 1889

                (four) Joseph Randolph – born Oct 10 1856

                Died Nov. 1929 California

9. Evaline married Henry Goodall

Their children

(one) Lula – mar. Cyrus Broadwell

(two) John – in St. Louis.

10. Caroline – married Joseph Van Dyke

Went to Illinois – had one son

(one) George – of whom we know nothing.

11. Randolph – married Laura Green

Their children

One – Walter – Julia Williams

Two – Virginia – Wallace Burch

Three – Randolph – Effie   ?

Four – Laura – Henry Wersel

Five – Charlie –

I have not enlarged upon these as you all know more than I

I have only sent notes on the immediate

Family of Mary Penn who married John Richards.

I will be glad to send all the data I have

On all the other children of Benj Penn and

Mary Sargent, if you care for it. There is quite a bit and rather interesting to any one with the genealogy bug.

Sargent  1

James Sargent was born at Snow Hill England near London.

Died Frederick Co. Maryland aged 107 yrs.

Nellie Taylor born England, married England

Came to Frederick Co. Md. 1745

Their Children.

1. Richard – Priscilla Austin

2. William = Sarah Aldridge

3. Snowden = Mary Hethman

4 James = Philena Pigman

5. John = Mary Fraser – Hester Camden

6. Elijah = Margaret Fraser

7. Mary = Benjamin Penn

8. Sarah = Hugh Larkin

9. Eleanor = Jonathan Fraser

10. Nancy = Samuel Phillips

The large Estate so often spoken of consisted

Of this tract of land (Snow Hill) belonging to Snowden Sargent brother of James. He was a

Bachelor and when he died his property was very valuable and increased until it was worth

Millions. The heirs in American never alluded to it and at the end of 67 yrs. It reverted to the Crown.

It is now in the city of London but still called Snow Hill.

I have notes on several families of these children beside that of Mary who married Benj

Penn. It is through this line that the connection

With the McNeal boys is traced

As I said of the Penn line – I will be glad

To send all I have if you are interested beyond

The immediate family line.

Richards.

Hardly any thing is known of the Richards

Line. It was supposed to go into Maryland from Pennsylvania in 18^th century.

Two Richards men (brothers most likely) married

Two Penn sisters.

John Richards married Nancy Ann Penn (You see my mistake there [arrows point to opposite spouses])

George Richards “ Mary Penn

From a great grand daughter of Nancy, I quote

The Richards who married Ann a daughter of

John and Nancy had eight uncles all with large

Families who scattered over U.S.A. and Canada

Some are still near Baltimore.

Hanson Richards a brother of Ann moved from

Felicity to Hillsboro Ohio during Civil War.

Perhaps Jennie can tell more of this family

Some of whom are still in Hillsboro

The husband of Mary Penn (John Richards)

Died when many of the children were young.

The mother raised her family on a farm between Bethel and Felicity Ohio. The house is still standing.

The Penn and Sargent lines have both been proved and descendants are eligible for the D.A.R. if interested.

I hope you can read all this. I find I do more scribbling than writing.

Just let me know if you want the whole "lay out" as I copied it from the notes of Colonel Frambes, and you shall have it.

Fast forward to 2012, 15 years after I first received the copy of this document with page two missing. I'm in the home of Mary Strubbe, the daughter of Nancy Baer Strubbe, who kindly offered to have me stay for a few days before the National Genealogical Society meeting began in May. Mary is now the keeper of most of the family documents, thank goodness! While going through the boxes, what do you think I found? That's right, I found the original of the document! I simply had to flip over the first page and there was the 'missing' information from the copies Tom had generously sent me:

(2)

IX Nackey – Sept. 2 – 1787 = 1^st Joseph Pigman – 2^nd – Teeters

X Rhoda – Aug 5 – 1789 = - Molen

XI Elijah – Dec. 27 – 1782 = Philena Walraven

XII Sophia – Jan 8 1795 = James Prather.

Benjamin Penn (1740) was in Revolutionary War.

The early home was in Arundel Co. Maryland on Halland (Holland) River – afterward in Frederick Co. on Monocassy River.

VIII. Mary Penn married 1805 John Richards in Md.

Their children

  1.       Lloyd – died aged 22 yrs.

  2.       Ellen – married Wm. Brown. And lived at Chilo. Clermont Co.

  3.       Ann – killed in swing – 7 yrs of age.

  4.       Eliza – married Lewis Pierce (a yankee school teacher

Who took her East where she soon died)

  5.       Warren – married ---- Goodwin

Their children (a twin sister of Warren died – infant)

1.       William married Lizzie Elsberry and their children

Are Marie wife of Dr. Owen Davidson of Bethel

______________________________

Warren – of Cincinnati

Georgie – died

Helen

2.       Tom – a doctor

3.       Georgie – married Al Lane

4.       Belle – “ James Robinson

Jennie can perhaps tell more of these people, or Warren Richards

There's so much great information here, and I've referred back to this document many times for clues. Have you ever received a document like this, that helped you start in the middle?